AI Instructions define the general behavior of your Novus AI assistant.
They tell the AI how it should communicate, what its role is, how it should handle information, and what it should do when it cannot confidently answer a member's question.
Well-written instructions help make your assistant more consistent and reliable across conversations.
What Are AI Instructions?
AI Instructions are the general rules Novus AI follows when generating responses for your Discord server.
Think of them as the operating guidelines for your assistant.
Your instructions can define things such as:
The assistant's role
Communication style
Preferred response length
How members should be addressed
Information the AI should or should not provide
How unknown questions should be handled
When members should be referred to staff
How the AI should use your Knowledge Base
Language behavior
Community-specific rules
These instructions apply to the overall behavior of your AI assistant.
Keep Instructions Focused on Behavior
Your main AI Instructions should primarily describe how your assistant should behave.
Avoid placing your entire server Knowledge Base inside the AI Instructions.
For example, instead of adding every server rule, service, guide, and frequently asked question to your main instructions, store that information in your Knowledge Base.
This keeps your AI configuration organized and easier to maintain.
Define the Assistant's Role
Start by clearly defining what your assistant is supposed to do.
For example:
You are the official AI support assistant for our Discord community. Help members with questions using the information available in the Knowledge Base and follow the configured support rules.
A clear role helps the AI understand its primary responsibility.
Define the Communication Style
Tell the assistant how you want it to communicate.
For example, you may instruct it to:
Be friendly and professional
Keep responses concise
Provide detailed instructions when necessary
Avoid unnecessary technical language
Use easy-to-understand explanations
Match the member's language
Choose a communication style appropriate for your community.
Tell the AI Not to Guess
One of the most important instructions is how the AI should handle information it does not know.
For community-specific information, it is usually better for the assistant to acknowledge that information is unavailable rather than invent an answer.
For example:
If the requested information is not available in the provided Knowledge Base or instructions, do not invent or assume the answer. Use the configured fallback behavior instead.
This can significantly reduce incorrect community-specific responses.
Define Escalation Behavior
Some questions should be handled by a human staff member.
Your instructions can define when Novus AI should refer a member to your support team.
Possible situations include:
Missing information
Account-specific concerns
Sensitive transactions
Issues requiring manual verification
Problems requiring staff intervention
Requests outside the assistant's available information
More specialized escalation rules can also be placed inside individual AI routes.
Keep General and Route Instructions Separate
Your main AI Instructions should contain rules that apply to most or all conversations.
Topic-specific rules should normally be placed inside the appropriate AI Route.
For example, instead of putting detailed payment procedures in your general instructions, you can create a payment-related route and place the specific instructions there.
This makes your configuration easier to understand and maintain.
Use Clear Instructions
Write instructions that are direct and specific.
Instead of:
Answer questions properly.
Use:
Answer member questions clearly and concisely using available Knowledge Base information. If the required information is unavailable, do not guess.
Clear instructions give the AI more information about the behavior you expect.
Avoid Conflicting Instructions
Do not give the assistant multiple rules that contradict each other.
For example:
Always provide an answer.
and:
Never answer if the information is unavailable.
These instructions can conflict.
Instead, clearly define which behavior should take priority.
Example Basic AI Instructions
A simple configuration could look like this:
You are the official AI support assistant for our Discord community.
Answer member questions clearly and professionally. Use the available Knowledge Base and relevant route information when answering community-specific questions.
Do not invent prices, rules, procedures, schedules, services, or other community-specific information that is not available in the provided information.
If you cannot confidently answer a question using the available information, use the configured fallback or refer the member to the appropriate support team.
Respond naturally in the language used by the member whenever possible.
This is only an example. Your actual instructions should reflect the needs of your own community.
Do Not Overload Your Instructions
Longer instructions are not automatically better.
Too many unnecessary rules can make your configuration difficult to maintain and may create conflicting behavior.
A better structure is:
General AI Instructions
For rules that apply everywhere.
Knowledge Base
For factual information about your community.
AI Routes
For instructions specific to certain types of questions.
Fallback Behavior
For situations where the assistant cannot provide an appropriate answer.
This separation makes your Novus AI configuration easier to update as your community grows.
Test After Making Changes
After changing your AI Instructions, test your assistant using different types of questions.
Check whether Novus AI:
Follows the intended communication style
Uses available Knowledge Base information
Avoids unsupported claims
Handles unknown questions correctly
Follows escalation rules
Responds appropriately in different languages
Works correctly with your AI routes
If you notice unwanted behavior, adjust the relevant instruction and test again.
Continue Improving Your Instructions
AI Instructions do not need to be perfect on your first attempt.
Start with simple and clear rules, observe how your assistant responds to real questions, and improve the instructions when necessary.
Keeping your instructions organized and focused will make future changes easier.
Next Step
Once your AI Instructions are ready, the next step is controlling when and how your assistant responds to Discord conversations.
Continue to Configuring Response Behavior.